“In reality, we’re a team full of guards,” said senior center Malik Minor.

But in Tuesday’s 8 p.m. NIU Supersectional, Auburn faces one of the few teams in the state even more guard-oriented than itself. Lincolnshire Stevenson took second in the state in Class 4A last year when sophomore guards Jalen Brunson and Connor Cashaw ranked 1-2 on the Patriots in both scoring and assists and were first and third in rebounds.

“Their strength is supposed to be our strength,” Auburn coach Bryan Ott said. “When we’re playing our best, it’s based on defensive pressure and strong guard play. This makes for a huge test of just exactly how good we are.”

Brunson and Cashaw combined to average 38 points as sophomores and are even better as juniors. They had 47 points in No. 1-ranked Stevenson’s 63-48 sectional final win over previously unbeaten Palatine Fremd.

Several players for No. 10 Auburn (28-5) watched Stevenson (30-1) at state and also saw the Patriots’ 73-67 supersectional win over Boylan last year.

“We have been talking about this game for a long time,” Ott said. “When the pairings were released by the state, we saw who we had to get through to get downstate. We want to go out and show who we are and play our game.”

“Auburn,” Stevenson coach Pat Ambrose said, “will give us the ultimate test, too. They will do what they do and get after us.”

Brunson will make it hard for Auburn to force 20-plus turnovers the way the Knights normally do.

“Step one against pressure teams is making sure you have a kid who can handle the ball and not get scared and make bad decisions,” Ambrose said. “Our entire team takes its cue from him. He controls the game on both ends of the floor. Guards can do that for you, and point guards especially.”

“We need to really make it difficult,” Ott said, “for the point guard to touch the basketball. We have to make him earn it getting open. And when he gives it up, we have to make sure he doesn’t get it back.”

Ambrose, who has an even 300 wins in 15 years at Stevenson, worries most about Auburn’s vast fleet of 3-point shooters and the Knights’ pressure defense.

But both teams are looking forward to playing a similar style rather than battling a slow-it-down zone team.

Page 2 of 2 - “It’s not too often we see a team that will get up and go with us as much as we get up and go,” Ambrose said.

“It will be fun all the way around.” Ott said. “It’s the kind of game that people want to see, with both teams having offensive firepower.

“Hopefully, we’ll be up to the challenge of providing it and holding up our end of the deal.”